


Streets of Gold

by Elisheva67



Series: Streets Of Gold [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Gen, Homeless Stan Pines, Humor, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Gravity Falls, Pre-Portal Incident (Gravity Falls), Set just after Stan got kicked out, Tags May Change, not sure what tags to use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:14:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29263362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elisheva67/pseuds/Elisheva67
Summary: Stan just got kicked out of his family’s house. He’s all alone, hungry and has no one to turn too (yet).Here’s my first fic posted to this site. It’s an idea I had. We all know that Stan is pretty good in street smarts and thievery, but where did it come from? Was he just naturally good or did someone teach him?
Series: Streets Of Gold [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2187165
Kudos: 1





	1. The ginger Scamp

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter of this fic. I’m not and English speaker to begin with. So if you have suggestion or constructive comment I’ll happily read them! I’m not a writer to begin with, so this is interesting for me to try to write. 
> 
> Hope you like!

_ Welp, this sucks. _

Wasn’t that the understatement of the year. After being kicked out of his home, Stan had stayed a little while in New Jersey. He finally decided to leave the state, too many painful memories. From then on, he went from town to town trying to earn his bread and butter as best he could. Without a highschool diploma or even a fixed home, not a lot of people were willing to hire him. Stan had resorted to utilize his charming smile and silver tongue to get by on a day to day basis. It wasn’t much, but that’s all he had. 

And wasn’t that just the saddest part. He didn’t have any special skills (that he could see) and wasn’t particularly intelligent. All he could rely on was his motormouth, which could go both ways in his case. More often than not, it would get him into trouble. He needed to learn more skills if he wanted to survive on the street. 

Stan had now made his way in a small town in the south of the United State. The winter season was coming in fast. At least in the south he wouldn’t have to worry about frostbite for a few months. Plus this far south, he had a better chance of starting anew. It’s unlikely that anyone in town would recognize him anytime soon. 

For the past few days, he tried his hand at pickpocketing the wallets of every few passer-by that would come too close to him. So far it earned him a satchel to the face, a kick below the belt and almost getting pepper sprayed in the eyes. Not a great start. 

Stan leaned against a brick wall in an alley, hidden from any unwanted eyes. He rubbed his cheek and took a deep breath through his nose. The last person he tried to pickpocket was carrying a bag full of books.  _ Who carries five dictionaries anyway?! _ The thought of books made him unconsciously think of his brother. He tilted his head down and breathed loudly, closing his eyes. Stan pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to calm himself. He wasn’t going to cry, damnit! He promised himself he wouldn’t, not now not ever! He would allow himself to think of his brother, from time to time, but never to cry over it. Or over his less than desirable situation. 

« Don’t worry about it, kid. The guy didn’t have anything worth stealing to begin with. »

Stan jumped at the voice. He was so focused on his breathing that he didn’t hear the young women come up to him. She seemed to be only a few years older than him. She looked at him sympathetically, which only seemed to confuse Stan more. 

« What? » Blurted Stan. He extracted himself from the wall to face her. 

« The guy you wanted to pickpocket. » She pointed back toward the street. « He didn’t have anything good on him. So.. you know... You don't need to get yourself so worked up about it. » She shrugged her shoulders and looked around them. 

Stan managed a small laugh. She thought he was upset because he didn’t get to lift the guy properly. The small misunderstanding managed to lift his spirit, just a little bit. He shook his head lightly managing a small smile at the girl. She grinned back at him showing off all of her teeth. Stan could’ve swore some of her teeth were sharper than normal. He took a moment to observe her. 

She was just a tad smaller than him. She had short ginger hair, going down slightly below her shoulder. Little tufts of hair were going out in every possible angle. They were covering her ears because Stan couldn’t see them on either side of her head. She had deep green eyes. She was wearing a fedora, a simple white t-shirt (slightly dirty, but Stan wasn’t going to judge), some wash up jeans, jumping boots and a small bag on her back. Overall, she looked decent. She didn’t smell, but she wasn’t clean either. She seemed to be in the same boat as Stan, on the street. 

« Listen, I saw you. You’re good, but you lack some technique. Want to team up and release some folks of their wallets? »

She kept her smile on her face and put out one hand. Her smile seemed genuine, but Stan couldn’t help to keep his guard up. He didn’t want to look a gifted horse in the mouth, but something didn’t seem right to him. Why would this woman help him out of the blue? He stared at her suspiciously. 

« Why? Why would you do this? »

She shrugged and looked behind her toward the street. 

« Two heads are better than one. Don’t you think? Plus we’ll just split the profit in half. I could use some money to eat. Don’t you? »

She looked him up and down and raised an eyebrow at him. Stan took a moment to think about it. He didn’t have anything more to lose at this point. She didn’t know he had a car. He had parked the Stanmobil just outside of town, near an abandoned building. He had carefully hidden her behind bushes, just in case. So this woman, whoever she is, probably thought that all he had was what he had on him at the moment. 

Stan Took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them up again, she was still in front of him, a smile on her face. She held out her hand to him. 

« What do you say? » She tilted her head to the side a little. Stan couldn’t help to be reminded of a dog tilting its head. 

Stan took her hand and smiled at her. They shook hands. « Sure. Let’s give it a try. »

« Sweet! Do you have a name? I’m Arthuria! » 

« I’m Stan. » He took a moment to realize the name she just gave him. He squinted his eyes and looked her up. « Wait! Your name is Arthuria? »

Arthuria laughed and put her hand behind her head, rubbing her neck sheepishly. « Yeah, well, my mom was a real Arthurian legend fan, I guess she wanted a boy… I know it’s quite the mouthful. » Her hat seemed to have jumped a little bit as she moved her eyes to the side. « I just go by Arthur. It’s easier. Now come, we won’t get anything in an alley.» she waved him to follow her.

Arthuria turned on her heels and headed toward the street. Stan followed her soon. They walked on the sidewalk in total silence. Arthuria seemed to know where to go, so Stan just stayed behind her and followed her. He took the time to observe her more. She seemed alright, but Stan couldn’t help to think that something was a bit off about her. She was always looking around, never resting her eyes on a single thing more than 3 seconds. The fedora was bouncing on her head as she moved around. Her head was always moving. Whenever she would glance at him, she would just smile at him. He smiled back and looked at her eyes. They weren’t dilated or anything. Stan just shrugged his shoulder.  _ Guess she’s just really curious about everything around her _ . 

She guided him toward a small market place. A lot of colorful stands were scattered all around. Some were selling meals and food, others trinkets and handmade satchels. Arthuria guided him toward a crowd and turned to him. 

« So I saw your hand. It’s pretty good but you lack one important element.» She raised one finger up and pointed it to the sky. She had a huge grin on her face. It looks like she was going to put out a show. 

« What’s that? » Stan rolled his eyes. He shoved his hand in his jeans pockets. He was in no mood to play riddle. 

« Distraction! » She waved her arms around. She was putting on a show. « You need to drive people’s attention away from what you’re doing. » 

She handed him her bag. The smile on her face seemed to grow. Stan took the bag. Arthuria kept a hand on the handle and looked him in the eye. There was a gleam in them. Stan couldn’t help but be hypnotized by them. A deep green, like the deepest part of a forest. He could get lost in them. Before Stan could zone out completely, Arthuria pulled on the bag and leaned close to Stan. 

« Now follow my lead.» She winked at him and dropped to the ground and let go of her bag. 

Stan was startled at first. He bent down to help her up, but stopped when he heard her next sentence.

« Help! Help! I’m Being Robbed! » She looked panicked. Stan realized she was faking it, but there was hardly anything he could do about it. He didn’t have an explanation to justify his action. The victim didn’t take the blame in these situations. 

Stan’s blood turned cold. Sweat started to go down his forehead. He looked carefully around him. A few people started to turn around and look at them. Stan swallowed. His throat was dry. This wasn’t good. People were starting to glare at him and walk menacingly towards him.  _ That’s not good _ . He let go of the bag and raised his hand placantly. He started to backtrack a little bit, but bumped his back into two other people. Stan turned around and smiled at the ever growing crowd around him. 

« Hey, hey now… This is all just a big misunderstanding. » Stan didn’t like where this was going. He tried to smile, but it didn’t do much. 

He looked for Arthuria. This situation needed to be cleared out, but he couldn’t find her amongst the ever growing crowd now circling him. It’s like she just disappeared. 

« What’s your problem? » Shouted one man. « You looking for trouble? » added another one. « Let’s teach him a lesson! »

Someone shoved Stan forward. Stan was starting to freak out a little and the crowd was getting aggressive. Not to the point of becoming a mob, but close. Even with his hand raised, nobody seemed to want to give him the benefit of the doubt. Someone from behind shoved him hard enough to send him on the ground.

Stan started to get up on his hand when he had a cold realisation. _ It’s a set up! She just needed a poor soul to take the hit!  _ Stan felt a wave of shame wash over him. Of course she wasn’t impressed by him. He had no talent. He was worthless. He was just a nobody. He had been too gullible, to stupid to realise…

Before his thought could spiral any further, he received a kick in his side that sent him rolling around. He curled in on himself and tried to take a breath. His side was starting to sting. Stan hoped he didn’t have broken ribs. He raised his head slowly and saw a few more feet coming his way. He lifted his hands up and protected his head as best he could. He felt a few kicks hit him in various places. He had to get on his feet fast! Once up, he could stand a chance to fight back. All of his boxing lessons weren’t for nothing, damnit! 

Stan felt his blood boiled. He cursed himself, curled up and sprung up. The crowd around him took a step back. Stan didn’t waste any time and started throwing punches left and right. He managed a few good hits. He landed a powerful left hook on someone’s nose and heard something crunch. He felt satisfied with himself, despite the pain it resulted in his hand. His position must’ve been wrong. He kept this up for a few minutes, dancing lightly on his feet, but it wasn’t enough. He managed to dodge most of the attacks, but once in while a punch or kick would hit him. The adrenaline flowing through him was enough to make him go on, but even that had it’s limit. His technique was good, he was still one against too many and he was getting tired. Sheer willpower and rage wasn't enough against a crowd. 

Stan was starting to run out of steam. He took a brief moment to look around. He saw an opening on his left and bolted out of here. As he ran away from the fight, he knocked over a few stands to slow down the crowd. He heard a few angry yells directed at him, maybe one or two insults here and there, but he didn’t care. He just wanted out. Wanted this to be over. 

Stan ran for a few minutes before stopping. He made sure none of the people from the crowd were behind. He leaned his back against a wall and let himself fall to the ground. He pulled his knees up to his chest and burrowed his head into his arms. His breathing started to hitch, his shoulders shaking.  _ This is so...So… _ Stan felt his eyes getting watery. There must be a lot of dust around him to make his eyes cry, because he sure wasn’t crying. He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to calm himself, taking in a few shaking breaths in the process. 

Why was this all happening to him? Was that the universe punishing him for one dumb mistake he’d made when he was a young reckless teenager? Dark thoughts started floating around in Stan’s head. He let them flow. He didn’t have the energie or the will to make them go away, not now anyway. What would be the point? Even someone else in the street thought he was just good enough to get beaten up. Stan shook his head. No! He wasn’t going to give up! He’ll get back up and prove to everyone that he was worth something! He’ll prove to them all, even to this young woman with a guy name! If Stan were to ever see her again, he had one or two ideas about how to deal with her. He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands and composed himself. 

When he managed to calm himself, he took the time to look over his injuries. He had a couple of bruises on his torso and arms, but nothing too serious. He was gonna feel that in the morning, but it wasn’t anything he hadn't dealt with before. His ribs were sore, but not broken, thank god! He had gotten a good hit on the cheek, but it should be fine. He must’ve looked horrible, but he’ll live. The only injury that was worrying him a little was his left hand. It was starting to get swollen around his knuckles. The skin had broken open a little. He flexed his fingers. It stings a little, but he could manage. Nothing seemed to be broken. If he could get his hands on some ice and wraps, his hand would be good as new. Stan managed a small laugh. He was lucky in his bad luck. 

Stan let out a sigh of relief. He’ll head back to his car, patch himself up and let all of this disastrous adventure behind him. He grunted while getting up on his feet and stretched himself. His whole body protested the movement, but he didn’t care. He wiped his eyes one last time, dusted himself and was about to head out, when something caught his attention. 

He looked around, someone was whistling playfully near him, not that it didn’t matter but the voice was familiar. He looked around, trying to pinpoint the origin. He ventured out of the ally and turned right, coming face to face with…

« YOU! » Stan snarled and pointed toward Arthuria. 

«And… there’s my cue to run!» Arthuria turned on her heels and ran in the opposite direction. Stan was hot on her tail. 


	2. Why should I Worry?

_ Damn, she’s good! _ Stan was trying to keep up with Arthuria as best he could. With his battered body running after someone who was in picked performance was a hassle. Every leap he took sent lightning pain in his side. He wasn’t really far behind her. As he looked how she moved around he realized that she wasn’t fast, she was agile. Stan chuckled a little.  _ She moves like a damn monkey! _

She would jump under and over every obstacle in her way, never breaking a sweat. She almost lost her hat a couple of times, but she managed to get it to stay on her head. Dodging left and right and avoiding passers-by. It looks like she’d done that all her life. Which might be true if she was living on the street like Stan was. As she was running her hands seemed to be twitching a little, like she was trying to grab something that wasn’t there anymore. She kept them close to her, not making any unnecessary movements. She kept her head straight, never turning around to look where Stan was, only tilting it a little. She seemed to be sensing where everything around her was. It was pretty impressive to look at. 

Stan wasn’t far behind but he couldn’t avoid every obstacle like she could. His injury was slowing him down. He was starting to fear he’d lose her. His breath was becoming shallow. He was out of breath and slowing down a little.  _ No! I will catch up to her! _ He shook his head and picked up the pace. He won’t give up. Arthuria still had a few paces before him, but it didn’t matter. Stan would keep running!

And then... Arthuria stopped dead on her track to look to her right. Something small and fluffy was standing on the fence on the other side of the road. For a moment, Arthuria seemed very absorbed by it. It was enough of a distraction to catch up to her. Stan bumped into her and they both tumbled to the ground.

Stan didn’t waste his opportunity. He seized her by the shoulders, hoisted her up and dragged them away from the crowd. He looked around to find a place to take her and saw a piece of wall on his left. He shoved her into the wall and glared at her. She yelped as he did so. 

« WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT!? » He yelled at her. He didn’t care about raising his voice. She had some explaining to do and he wanted answers! « I thought it was a two men’s job! But it was a set up! Ya set me up! Didn’t ya!? »

Arthuria raised her hands placantly and squeezed her eyes shut. Something moved under her hat and she had to replace it fast on her head. She opened her eyes and looked at him. She wasn’t moved by his anger. 

« Yeah and? » She took his hands and slowly removed them from her shoulder. She dusted herself. « For these kinds of tricks you need two people. So yeah, I saw your sorry ass and thought I could use you. Happy? » 

« NO! » Stan started waving his arms around and pacing in front of her. She looked at him and crossed her arms on her chest. « I got beat up by a crowd! Couldn’t ya have given me a heads up or something? It wasn’t fair! Anything would’ve been better than that! »

« First: Fair is for tourists, kid. Consider this a free lesson in street savoir-faire. Second: If I’ve told you would you have come along? » She raised an eyebrow at him. Stan opened his mouth and closed it a couple of times. He had nothing to add. She was right, he wouldn't have followed her if he’d known. He sighed and dropped his arms. « Yeah, didn’t think so. Plus you ran away, I’m surprised we found each other so soon. Now, if you’ll excuse me... » She raised a hand and motioned him to let her pass. Stan didn’t move and kept staring at her. He saw that the pockets of her jeans had a bump. 

« You’re not going anywhere! I want my share! » He pointed at her jeans pocket. She looked down and up at him. A devilish grin expanded on her face. Stan didn’t like that look. With this grin, Stan could see all her teeth and he realized that her canines were definitely sharper than normal. All at once his anger settled down in his chest, replaced by a cold feeling. He took a step back and swallowed. His throat was dry. She had something in mind and he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out what it was. 

« You want your share? » Stan raised his hand placantly. He had his fair share of fighting for the day. He didn’t want anymore confrontation, he just wanted his money.« Come and get it! » Arthuria took one of his hands and made him twirled out of the way. Stan managed to stay on his feet. He twisted around to see her in time going back towards the street. « But I’m warning you, kid! »

She went back to the street and started strolling along. Stan was a bit dumbfounded. Why wasn’t she just running? Granted his anger had calmed down, but why would she lower her guard this much? She had started to run away from him the moment he saw her. Stan took a whole of himself and followed after her. He wanted to hear the end of this story.  _ What is she warning me about?  _ Stan strolled after her. 

« One minute I’m in the park. » 

She leapt on a light post and turned around changing the direction she was headed for to begin with.

« Then I’m strolling down on main street! »

She opened her arm and twirled around. 

Stan blinked a little at what was happening before his eyes.  _ Is she… Is she singing? And putting on a show? _ That was the only logical conclusion Stan saw to her behavior, no matter how weird it was. She wasn’t talking anymore she was singing. And weirdly enough, she managed to put some distance between her and him. The way she walked around the crowd was more natural. She was waving in and out without disturbing anyone. This was more effective than when they had been running, because now no one was moving away. She was disappearing in the crowd. The only way Stan knew where she was, was from the sound of her voice. 

She kept walking without any goal in mind. She stumbled across a small construction site. Huge cement pipes were laying around unattendant. Arthuria jumped in one leap on one of them and walked backward. When she spotted Stan a few lengths behind she smiled at him.

« Said, from the rich district to the mall,

There’s a syncopated beat, right? » 

She winked and turned back forward. Stan didn’t climb the pipe to follow her, but he kept her in his vision field. She might not be running, but he wasn’t going to let her get out of his sight. 

Arthuria stopped and looked around. She had made it at the end of the pipe. There was a huge hole where the pipes were going to be placed in the near future. The hole was filled with brown water. She looked up and saw a hook hanging from an unattended crane. 

« I’m street wise, 

I can improvise! » 

She jumped and caught it. She swinged a little before leaping over the water hole on the other side. She landed on her feet and barrel forward a little. She stood up unscathered and dusted herself a little. Her hat was still standing proudly on her head. She turned a little to look at Stan and gave him a small salute. 

She turned back and looked ahead. They were heading toward a small park with a fountain in the middle. Even from behind, Stan could see her grin widened at the sight. 

« I’m street smart,

I’ve got the city’s heart! » 

Arthuria bolted toward the park and only stopped at the fountain. She jumped in and let her feet soak in water.

« Why should I worry?

Why should I care? 

I may not have a dime! 

But I got street savoir-faire » 

She stepped happily in the fountain, sending splashes around her without any care in the world. She avoided the sprinklers decorating the fountain with ease. It was like second nature to her. She bent down to the bottom of the fountain and grabbed a handful of pennies that she promptly shoved into her pockets. She turned toward Stan and smiled.

« Why should I worry?

Why should I care?

It’s just doo-population

and I got street savoir-faire! » 

Stan was always just a few feet behind. He was limping a little, but his bruises seemed to get better as time passed. They didn’t bother him as much as they did a few minutes ago. He was thankful for that. In Spite of himself, he found the song she was singing quite catchy.

Arthuria jumped out of the fountain and headed deeper into the park. She left a trail of wet prints on the ground, but just like everything else, she didn’t seem to care. There were a few trees here and there with benches in between. A little further down, Stan can spot a small playground with swings and slides. Some kids were playing around. They didn’t have any fancy clothes. One of them wore a shirt that said: Property of Saint Judes orphanage. Arthuria noticed and walked towards them. She turned to Stan. 

«The rhythm of the city, 

follow once you get it down! 

Then you can own this town 

and you can wear the crown! » 

On the impulse of her first verse she took her fedora off and sent it flying in the air. She caught it at the end of her verse. In the short amount of time in which her hat was in the air, Stan had a good look of her head. He found himself puzzled at the two triangular shapes that were popping out. They were too big to be strands of hair. They had different shades of ginger in them. The two little shapes moved around her head. She realized what she’d done and covered them up as soon as her fedora was in her hand. Stan saw her cheeks turned red before she turned around to continue her song. Stan arched an eyebrow at that.  _ What was that on her head? _

She kept going like nothing happened. Walking near the children, she crouched down and slipped some of the pennies she stole from the fountain into their hands. 

« Why should I worry? 

Tell me why should I care? » 

She ruffled their hair and hugged them a little. Looking back at Stan she smiled. 

« I said I may not have a dime, Oh, 

but I got street savoir-faire! » 

The kids shoved her away affectionately. She just laughed and noggied an unlucky one that was in arm reach. She let them go and continued her journey.

« Why should I worry? 

Why should I care?

It’s just doo-population 

and I got street savoir-faire! »

Stan couldn’t help the small chuckle that passed his lips. He didn’t dare laugh too hard, it would send a jolt of pain in his side . She was having a good time, strolling around town and singing her praise to whoever was in ear shot. Just like she sang, she didn’t care. She had her wits and street smart, as she said, to keep her going. Stan sighed and decided that he wanted to know what she had. He didn’t know if she'd accept, but he was going to try. 

Arthuria was still just a few paces in front of him, but she wasn’t doing anything to put any more distance between them. She started whistling to the same beat she had been singing with some occasional « Whoo whoo » here and there. 

By the time she had stopped her singing and strolling around the park, nightfall was upon them. She stretched her legs and spotted an empty bench a little far away. She made a beeline and sat on it. 

Stan couldn’t help but be impressed. She had so much confidence in her movements and abilities. He didn’t have any of that. Yet. He took a deep breath and headed toward the bench. She looked up to him and smiled.

« So you manage to keep up and tailed me all day? I’m impressed. A bit weirded out, but impressed. » She dug into her pocket and produced a wallet. She pulled out a few dollar bills and tossed them to him. « Here’s your share. » Stan juggled a little with the money before putting it away. He didn’t even take the time to count what amount she’d given him. He sat down next to her, resting his elbows on his knees and took a deep breath. 

« Listen… » Stan started speaking but the words got caught in his throat. He looked over at Arthuria. She was leaning towards him, her head tilting again like a dog. She frowned a little. 

« What? You want more? I’m pretty sure I just gave you a fair share. »

« No, no it’s not about my share. Thank you by the way… For that... » Stan cleared his throat. He scratched the back of his head. God why was this so difficult. « It’s… hum… God! Why is this so hard! » He stood up and started pacing in front of her. Running his hands up and down his arms, trying to give himself a bit of courage. She kept her gaze up and let him sort his mind. « Ok, this is gonna sound weird… but... hear me out... »

« I’m all ears. » She smiled and sat upright. All her attention was on Stan.  _ She looks like a dog waiting for orders. _

« You’re right. My technique is sloppy. It can’t stay that way if I’m to survive on the street… I need to know more. What I’m tryin’ to say… To ask is… Would you… Would you teach me what ya know? »

Stan let his arms drop to his sides and hunched his shoulder. This was a mistake, a disaster. She was never going to accept. He closed his eyes and braced himself. He was being ridiculous. There’s no way in hell she’ll ever accept to help him out. Wasn’t there an unwritten rule that said something like everyone for themselves? 

He expected her to start laughing at him, but no laugh ever came. The only thing he heard was a long sigh. Stan raised his head and looked at Arthuria. She wasn’t laughing or anything. She didn’t even have a smile on her face. She looked seriously at him, brow frowning. 

« How old are you? »

Stan was taken aback by her question. He chewed the inside of his cheek, wondering if he should lie about his age or not. He could act tough and aged himself a little, but he didn’t think it would do him any good if he wanted her to teach him. Plus, being older and not being good at that stuff might seem weird. He sighed loudly, looking at his feet. « eighteen ». 

Arthuria didn’t say anything at first. She just looked at him. She seemed sad at what he had just said. 

« I have a motto:  _ Quid lucrum istic mihi est? _ » Stan raised an eyebrow. He didn’t finish highschool but didn’t remember ever taking latin class. At least he was pretty sure it was latin. Arthuria saw the confused look on his face. « What’s in it for me? »

Stan took a moment to answer. He wanted her help, but wasn’t sure what he could offer her. He ducked his hands in his pokets. His fingers brushed against his car keys, one of his few earthly possessions. He sighed, closed his eyes and looked Arthuria in the eyes. « I have a car… That’s always useful. » 

« OK, that’ll work. I can’t really drive, so that’s gonna be useful. » She stood up and came up to him. She raised his head so that he looked her in the eyes. There weren’t any smiles on her face this time. She was serious with him. « I gotta say, you shouldn’t be out here. You seem like a good kid, so if you have a home.... »

« I don’t… I don’t care. I’ve got nowhere else to be… Or go. »

Arthuria took a deep breath. « Some people extended a hand when I needed help a long time ago. I’ll be damned if I didn’t do the same. I might also have a soft spot for broken and lost things. » She shook her head and held out her hand. Stan looked at it for a moment and took it. « All right, If you really are serious about this. We’ll talk about this partnership. » A smile returned to her face. 

Arthuria’s stomach made a gurgling noise. She retreated her hand, laughed a little and looked sheepishly. « OK! First order of business: Find something to eat. And I could really use a drink, singing all afternoon kinda made my throat sore. » She closed her eyes and lifted her nose slightly in the air, sniffing hard. She turned on her a couple of times before setting off in a direction. « I smell meat... That way. »

Stan looked in the direction she was headed and tried to sniff it out himself. All he could smell were leaves and wet grass. Nothing resembling the smell of cooked meat or anything.  _ Is she mocking me?  _

« I don’t smell anything. Ya sure about that? You’re not pulling another one on me? » His words didn’t have any real venom in them, but you never know. Like she had singed , she’s street smart. She still could be fouling him. 

Arthuria laughed. « Nah, I’m pretty sure there’s a bar this way, just a couple of yards away. » She looked at him, smiled and tapped the side of her nose. « I’ve got a really good sense of smell. »

Stan was intrigued plus a little bit of small talk to know her more couldn’t help. « How good? » 

« Good enough to track someone down if they ever get on my bad side. » She grinned. Stan swallowed hard.  _ Damn those canines are sharp! _ Stan looked her over again and raised an eyebrow. She seems all right, but there was definitely something off about her. « Something bothering you? »

« Just… hum… Your teeth are really sharp. That can’t be normal, right? You had them sharpen or something? »

Arthuria absentmindedly rubbed one of her teeth with her thumb. « I don’t know what to say. As far as I can remember I always had sharp teeth. I was born this way I guess. Why? Is that too weird for you? Too… Freaky? » She nudged him in the ribs, teasing him. 

Stan laughed a bit awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. He felt a cold chill running along his back. Arthuria used the word jokingly, but it still made Stan’s hackles raised. He never liked that word. Ford would get teased by this word, amongst others, because of his hands, but she didn’t seem to be bothered _. _

Arthuria noticed his slight discomfort and frowned at him.  _ Right, she’s not like Ford _ . He waved her off and smiled a little, to put her at ease. It wasn’t worth digging up the past. She shrugged and put her hands behind her head, stretching a little. « Beside, my teeth are far from being the weirdest thing about me. »

Stan frowned at that statement. Sure the nose thing was still pretty weird, but it wasn’t something obvious. Just the tip of her teeth would show up when she talked too. It’s really when she was smiling that you could see how sharp they were. How much weirder could she be? 

Stan abstemindely looked at her hands. They were normal, a bit rough around the edges. She had some faded scars up and down her arms, but nothing more. He couldn’t help the relief sigh that escaped his lips. 

« How come? » He looked back in front of him and raised his eyebrow. In front of them stood a small meat stand, just like she had said. 

« Hum… I’ll tell you later. Now, it’s food time! » She rushed to the entrance of the park. A bar stood there, just like she said it would, on the other side of the road. She crossed it and pulled out a few dollars. Stan followed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is from disney Oliver & Co. I know that the timeline doesn't add up because the song is from 1990 and this takes place in 1970 something, but the song encapsulated my oc so well that I couldn't resist it's inclusion.


End file.
